Showing posts with label estate sale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label estate sale. Show all posts

Sunday, September 25, 2011

What's Happening in My Life - September 25, 2011

There's no doubt, I'm really rattled and preoccupied.  On Thursday, my
dear friend, Werner Zucher, a forensic toxicologist from Switzerland,
arrived to spend a couple of nights with me before heading to the
Marriott Marquis in San Francisco to attend a conference, after which he
will return to spend the weekend at my house.  On our way  home from
te airport, we stopped at Costco to stock up on necessary provision like
beer, wine, Brie and other cheeses and a few other essentials. 

Later, I realized, I no longer had my wallet in my possession.  A frantic
search didn't turn it up so I began the most annoying task of cancelling
credit cards, going to the bank to replace my ATM card and, Monday,
I have to get a new driver's license and senior ID.  I have about ten other
things I must do related to that, as well, all at a time when minutes are at
a premium!

Jo Olivieri, Poetic Shutterbug, and I spent all day yesterday involved in
my "estate sale" - even my wonderful son, Jeremy, came over to over
security and support.  Sadly, there was a very poor turn out and we only
made a hundred dollars.  At least, I had good company.  We went through
my dad's military foot locker which I hadn't opened in about twenty years
and found some of my high school and early nursing school scrapbooks!
What funny things I saved!

Here's a picture taken in 1968 on my way back to New Orleans from my
home in Columbus, Georgia.  My girlfriend and I had stopped to eat at
a rest hour and I was leaning into the car to get the sandwiches!  Oh, how
I wish my gluteus maximus was still this size!




My son, Jeremy, almost took one of Werner's Swiss gifts away from me -
24 four bars of luscious Swiss milk chocolate, one box plain, the other
with hazelnuts.  "Just what you need", he commented.  I told him I
would give him have and eat one little square a day, ONLY. 

We are going to hold the second day of the estate sale today and, hopefully,
the turnout will be better.  My goal was to earn enough for a new laptop
as this one is not going to survive much longer and I need  to be able to
post from India. 

I am so far behind in making the deadline of getting out of this house by Oct
15.  Forgive my slow repsponse to posts and reading and replying to your
blogs.  I love you and will be back to normal once I can.




Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Ruby Tuesday - Complete Chaos - September 20, 2011

I got a new India book yesterday and all I want to do is sit and look at it
but, alas, time is running out and there is so much yet left to do.  My
friend, Joanne Olivieri, aka Poetic Shutterbug, gave up her whole day
yesterday to come and help me get started on organizing for my "estate
sale" this weekend which will be from 10A to 4P at 67 Canterbury
Avenue in Daly City, CA, right near Hickey Boulevard and
Skyline ( just in case any of you are in the area! )!  I have so much
packing left and things to move to storage, not to mention that all
the furniture still has to go - and I have a friend coming from
Switzerland tomorrow.  He'll spend a few days here with me when
he isn't at his conference in San Francisco.

Jo and I did manage to get out to lunch with my friend, Silvia ( I
had liver and onions which I love - I know that most folks don't -
I even wrote a poem, "Liver and Onions"! ) and, on the way to take
Jo home, we saw a chance for some nice photos so, of course, we
had to stop!




This book is filled with so many marvels, I could easily never get packed
or moved out of my house!!!




Many years ago, my dear friend, Santos, my very first Indian friend, gave
me this beautiful cookbook.  It is filled with incredible marvels and the
most glorious pictures.  Santos, Lorna, his mother, May, and so many of
their relatives and friends made my one week stay in Mumbai so warm and
welcoming when I went back in 1997.  It is there I will begin this visit to
India.

These are my two Ruby Tuesday posts for today.  Check out the site and
add you own and join in the fun!

I'm also adding some photos of my home so you can see what my life
is like these days!!!


Sadly, almost every room is like this - boxes in every stage of being
packed, upstairs and downstairs.  I've given hundreds of things to Good
Will, before Jo talked me into an estate sale.  Over fifty pairs of my
shoes are out there somewhere in the world and, at least, two hundred
books!  I could never bear to part with a book.
 
 



I'm keeping my ancient Marantz receiver and the speakers though my
turntable died years ago.  I'd like to get another because I love all my
33-1/3 records...but, if someone wants to buy them, I'll woefully say
farewell.  I have over a hundred VHS movies I hope someone will
want.  Some nursing homes and other facilities still have videorecorders
and players.






This was my mother's owl collection - I brought it home with me from
Georgia but none of my boys, of course, wanted it and I'm not an owl
collector.  I decided it should go to someone who loves owls.  I'm having
a hard enough time parting with things I've loved all my life - like that
ferm coffee set!



Every book in here goes - they're all cookbooks ( you should see the
number I'm keeping.  About thirty years ago, I used to do some
catering but I never charged enough to make it worthwhile.  Cookbooks
were also the souverneirs I brought back from my travels.


Everything in here goes as well.  I'm not sure why but I used to collect
teapots, some of them with a hundred dollar price tag...and they were
never used for tea!  Okay, I'm crazy but I know it. 




Years ago, when a son didn't occupy my guest bedroom, it was all done up
in unicorns!  I have dozen of unicorn pictures and knick knacks.  They're
not important to me anymore.




I used to do a lot of needlework, decoupage and various arts and crafts.
I love Christmas, too, and tried to make each one different and special. 
All those books are for sale now and so is the legal book case that I
ruined by painting a cheerful yellow.




I won't say that this whole experience of  going through my life and
marking things I've treasured for sale hasn't been a really painful
experience.  Every thing I touch spawns so many memories and I've
shed more than a few tears.  I've left off the eye makeup and mascara
or I'd really look a fright.  I know my boys don't realize how traumatic
this is for me.  "Junk," they call it - a lifetime of joy it's been for me.
It's a good thing my years are numbered.


I just want to say a very big thank you to Joanne Olivieri, aka Poetic
Shutterbug who is the best of friends and always the greatest help to
me whenever I need her ( which is constantly! ).